Sydney, Australia (24 October, 2022) Organisers of the World Match Racing Tour have announced the 2022 WMRT Final has been re-scheduled to 13-18 December in Sydney, Australia. The event will be co-hosted with the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) and the winner will be crowned official 2022 Match Racing World Champion.

The change of venue for the 2022 WMRT Final follows the ongoing border closures in China, where the WMRT Final was previously scheduled to take place in Shenzhen from 6-11 December. Strict travel restrictions for international visitors to China have been in place since the start of the global pandemic in 2020;

β€œIt is unfortunate we have been unable to host the WMRT Final in Shenzhen again this year due to the continued travel restrictions to China” commented WMRT Executive Director James Pleasance Β β€œhowever, to ensure we can still host the tour final this year, we are very pleased to partner with the CYCA to host the event in Sydney – the club has a great deal of experience in running world class match racing events and sailing conditions in Sydney in December should be ideal as well.”

Elliott 7m match racing fleet, CYCA

Up to 12 teams are being invited to the event including defending match racing world champion Taylor Canfield (Stars + Stripes Team USA) and six-time world champion Ian Williams from Great Britain. The event will be sailed in the CYCA fleet of Elliott 7m keelboats with crews of 4 or 5. Racing will take place over 5 days with a single round robin stage followed by a repechage, Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and Final on Sunday 18 December.

The CYCA is also home to the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race and the club will be busy in late December preparing for the 77th edition of the iconic race starting on 26 December as CYCA Commodore Arthur Lane explains;

β€œIt is extremely exciting for us to partner with the World Match Racing Tour to bring the Finals to the southern hemisphere for the very first time. The Club has a strong history in hosting world-class sailing events, so adding the World Match Racing Tour to our calendar this December will be very special. We look forward to welcoming all the teams to Sydney and to the CYCA.”

Taylor Canfield (centre) and Stars+Stripes Team USA WMRT Match Racing World Champions 2020 (Photo: Ian Roman/WMRT)
WMRT Match Racing World Championship Trophy

For more information about the World Match Racing Tour, contact info@wmrt.com or visitΒ www.wmrt.comΒ  For more information about CYCA, visit cyca.com.au

ABOUT WORLD MATCH RACING TOUR

Founded in 2000, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) promotes the sport of match racing around the world and is the longest running global professional series in the sport of sailing. TheΒ WMRTΒ is awarded β€˜Special Event’ status by the sport’s world governing body – World Sailing – and the winner of theΒ WMRTΒ each year is crowned World Sailing Match Racing World Champion. Previous champions include Sir Ben Ainslie (GBR), Taylor Canfield (USA), Peter Gilmour (AUS), Magnus Holmberg (SWE), Peter Holmberg (ISV), Adam Minoprio (NZL), Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Bertrand Pace (FRA), Jesper Radich (DEN), Phil Robertson (NZL) and Ian Williams (GBR). Since 2000, the World Match Racing Tour and its events have awarded over USD23million in prize money to sailors which has helped to contribute to the career pathway of many of today’s professional sailors. As a founding signatory of World Sailing’s 2030 Sustainability Charter, the tour is committed to supporting worldwide sustainability initiatives focused on reducing the use of single use materials, and ensuring the protection and health of our oceans.Β  Β www.wmrt.com

ABOUT CYCA

Founded in 1944, the CYCA is Australia’s premier yacht club and home to Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race which in 2019 celebrated 75 years. Nestled in beautiful Rushcutters Bay, the Club enjoys year-round sailing on one of the most iconic waterways in the world – Sydney Harbour. The Club has a strong sailing culture in youth, women’s and open sailing events, both inshore and offshore.

In 1993, the Club established the world leading youth keelboat academy, the CYCA Youth Sailing Academy. Since its inception, over 600 sailors have graduated from the Academy and gone onto to achieve top results in the America’s Cup, Olympic Games, SailGP, offshore ocean races and World Championships. cyca.com.au